calypso726
Escaping reality one Disney vacation at a time
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2006
Just reposting in case anyone has any suggestions:
So I just got a statement in today after a nasal procedure my son had. We're going to be paying about $1800 towards this bill. I'm definitely going to pay with a credit card, then use our HSA account for a reimbursement. Currently not working toward minimum spend on any cards and I'd hate to let this big expense go to waste without putting it towards a minimum. Ideas on a possible next card for me or DH?
We're both at 4/24 right now, so I'm thinking Chase would be our best option to round out the 5th slot. I got the CSR in January, the Disney Visa in February, then CIP in July. DH got his CSR and SW Premier in February, SW Plus and Disney Visa in March. Originally I wanted to shoot for the CSP next, but with the new Chase rules that doesn't appear to be an option. Boo!! Really wanted another UR bonus to beef up what we have and possibly use the to book a deluxe WDW resort next March/April.
As far as travel, we've really been using our UR towards Disney stays since we started earning them. Since we got APs in June, I'm burning them up and getting as many trips as we can for the least OOP. The SW CP has helped a ton with that. We have a trip to Vegas planned for February next year, but we're traveling with family who already booked at The Flamingo, so that's where we'll be booking our room too. The only other trip I see on the horizon is possibly Hawaii. Our 10th anniversary is in March 2019, so if I can make that trip happen for as little OOP as possible DH would be thrilled.
Ok here's my two cents: I'd suggest having your DH go for the CIP if you are after UR points. This is not a card I'd keep. I'd suggest the Ink Cash but the bonus is better on the CIP. After a year, I'd PC this to an Ink Cash. No better opportunity for earning UR. I have the Ink+ and so does DH. These two are the work horses of UR earning for us.
My other suggestion would be Marriott for both of you. The points transfer to Starwood and that could be useful both for WDW @ Swolphin or a future Hawaii trip. The annual anniversary nigh certificate would also come in handy and give you four different Marriott properties that are cat 5 or lower near WDW which amounts to a free weekend. We have DVC and I still manage to blow through all of our DVC points and use our annual nights at a Marriott in WDW every year with no problem. Lastly, have you done a mock airline plan and booking of your Hawaii trip? This would help you figure out which airline miles and how many you might need for the Hawaii trip. If it turns out United is your best bet, go for the Chase United card.
So if you want to stay on the Chase route (logically) then I'd probably recommend the Chase Freedom IF Disney trips look like they'll continue in the future. You get 5% back with spend in specific categories every quarter and since you have a CSR you can transfer the money ($75 if you max out the quarterly spending of $1500) into UR points by transferring to your CSR acct. The quarter of Oct-Dec the 5x rewards is wal mart and dept stores so you could get $1500 worth of WM gc and then go to Sam's (if you're a member) and redeem for discounted Disney GC (usually around 4%) off. That was my grand plan until I realized I have NO DISNEY trips planned after this Nov If you're not into the semi convoluted WM gc to Sam's purchased Disney GC, there is still the whole 7500 UR transferred to your CSR after you max out the quarterly spend at Wal Mart or a whole slew of department stores.
Another Chase option is the Marriott then earn those points, transfer to SPG and have a Solwfin Disney vacation BUT since most report this ISN'T subject to the 5/24 I'd advise against it.
Finally, if you have any sort of business claims, the experts out there can tall you about the Chase business cards (@calypso726, @Albort, @Lain) but I can't.
Good luck finding one that works for you
I don't know that I'd use up a Chase app for a Freedom card. Granted, it is a valuable card and will earn 30K UR points each year if you max out the bonus categories. It's a must have UR earning card, no doubt. That said, I think the value on the first year is potentially higher on a CIP or both getting the Marriott. If there was an in bank bonus for 30,000 that I think @Albort mentioned some time ago, then definitely yes! The $300 value would turn into $450 when transferred to a CSR account.
Oh boy, not an expert by any means I will say that many people have a business and aren't aware of that fact. I have four business cards. I didn't realize I had a business until I thought about applying for a business card. My favorite of the 4 is the Chase Ink Plus which is no longer available. The Chase Ink Cash is closest to it though.
Thanks for the info about the SR card. I guess I won't be applying for that one! Can anyone steer me toward a card that would give a good bonus and points that will easily transfer to multiple airlines. Not sure yet what we are going to fly.
Thanks!!
The cards that have points that transfer directly to multiple airlines are Amex Starwood Preferred Guest (over 30 airlines) Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve Chase Ink Preferred, Amex Membership Reward earning cards like Platinum, Platinum Business, Everyday Preferred, Everyday, Premier Rewards Gold, Business Gold, Blue Business. Citi Thank you Premier and Prestige.
Before choosing one of the cards I'd suggest finding out which airline you are likely going to fly the most. If your airport is a hub for an airline then that will likely be the airline you fly the most depending on your travel habits. We have lots of people here that fly Southwest and get amazing value from the companion pass. I'm not one of them. I fly several time a year for vacations and getaways but never on Southwest. Many of my flights over the last 5 years were international. If I had started out going after the SW cards and companion pass based on recommendations my points and CP would have been wasted as well as my efforts.
I am not far from MIA which is a hub for American Airlines. When I started out I figured AA would likely be the airline I wind up flying the most or other One World alliance partners. So the variable cards I started with were a Chase Ultimate Rewards combo of CSP (this is before CSR existed), Freedom and Ink+ along with an Amex SPG card. SPG points transfer 1:1 with AA, plus give me a 5,000 bonus every time I transfer 20,000 SPG points to an airline. UR points transfer to British Airways 1:1 and they are a One World alliance partner with AA.
If you have a specific dream trip in mind then I'd suggest doing a mock booking of the flights to see which airline you will need to fly to your destination and how many points it will take, Then, you can see which of the variable cards will likely work best for you.
I do sell on Ebay but I don't make much at all. Would that count? I did have a business but I folded it a few years back, as an IT consultant. It was an S Corp.
Yay! You have a business
O/T for this board, but can someone tell me if $1,000 for 5 nights at OKW (studio) in Feb is a good deal? I've got a rental held in my name, trying to decide if I should pull the trigger.
DVC member here. Ok so in February a studio from Feb 1 - Feb 1 is 13 points per night during the week and 17 points on the weekend. From Feb 16 - 28 they go up to 14 and 19 points respectively. The amount seems to be a good deal when comparing what the rental places are charging. On the rare occasion I have points to rent to friends I still do it at $10 per point. Hope that helps.
So...I got an Amex Hilton Honors card (whatever the heck it's called...the no-fee one). I'm not even sure why. I'm not even sure who I am anymore.
I've gone bananas.
Welcome to the insanity!